Static (conventional) RAM disks have been in use in computing devices for some time. A RAM disk is random access memory (RAM) that has been configured to simulate a disk drive. Files are accessed on a RAM disk just as they are on a physical disk. RAM disks are also known as RAM drives, virtual disks, and virtual drives.
Static RAM disks must be configured at system startup. After startup, the configuration of the static RAM disk cannot be changed. Once RAM has been allocated to a static RAM disk, it cannot be used by the system for processing. The memory allocated to the static RAM disk may only be used by the static RAM disk.
Additionally, static RAM disks require the user to configure the amount of memory that will be set aside for data storage. In many environments this makes the static RAM disk difficult to use, and requires frequent reconfiguration depending on changing patterns of system use.